NY, New England Vacation Ideas?

[Ben Ruset]

I think I'm pretty set on seeing mountains. If I wanted to see Pine Barrens, well, they're close.

Right now this place is the front runner. Still not 100% sure if that's what I want to do, though.

The idea of going out to the middle of nowhere with a bunch of books, pen and paper sounds awesome.

 

[manumuskin]

Ben
If you ever want to see mountains and Pine Barrens at the same time Sams Point Preserve in the Shawangunks is "Barrens on the Rocks""! That along with Minnewaska State Park (They connect) is about as awesome as you can get.The Strata is a sparkling white Conglomerate (I believe Pocono) and in October when the Huckleberry are red and the whie sand from rock erosion and the twisted Bonsai pines it is like a garden.

 

[bobpbx]

Right now this place is the front runner. Still not 100% sure if that's what I want to do, though.

That is really nice Ben. First time I've seen that site. Very intriguing. I'd do it to get off the grid for a few days.

Regarding Thoreau, I read this book a few months ago. It was a really good read. Henry started a 300 acre forest fire when he was young.

http://www.amazon.com/Woodsburner-A...fkmr2&keywords=books+about+henry+thoreau+fire

 

[46er]

Right now this place is the front runner. Still not 100% sure if that's what I want to do, though.

The idea of going out to the middle of nowhere with a bunch of books, pen and paper sounds awesome.

4 Peaks is very near to where our place was. Not really in the middle of no-where, but pretty close. Check it out on GE before you commit.

Another good site for cabin rentals;

http://www.adirondackbyowner.com/

 

[Spung-Man]

Right now this place is the front runner.

Sorry Ben,

You can still manage to have sand in your shoes. The Thoreau House (NY) is only 5 miles from the Clintonville Pine Barrens.

http://www.nature.org/ourinitiative...ork/adirondacks-clintonville-pine-barrens.xml​

For the record the real Thoreau's Woods is yet another, albeit minuscule, scrubby pine/oak forest area. Walden Pond is a kettle that formed on an Ice Age kame-delta complex known as the Walden Sand Plain. Pitch Pine is common, as is Scrub Oak and other Pine Barrens plant species. The droughty sandy soil, a Pine Barrens-like spodosol, was too poor to farm, hence the land remained secluded. Walden Pond itself is spung-like, in that its form intersects the shallow water table. The hydrofill is derived from groundwater. There is an adjacent Big & Little Goose Pond (http://pubs.usgs.gov/wri/wri014153/report.pdf), and even a nearby Mount Misery just like in the NJ Pine Barrens!

Check out Scofield’s exhaustive paper on the Walden Ecosystem:

http://www.walden.org/documents/file/Library/Collections/Schofield/SchofieldWaldenEcosystem.pdf​

​

S-M​

 

[geezerfinneran]

Ben
If you ever want to see mountains and Pine Barrens at the same time Sams Point Preserve in the Shawangunks is "Barrens on the Rocks""! That along with Minnewaska State Park (They connect) is about as awesome as you can get.The Strata is a sparkling white Conglomerate (I believe Pocono) and in October when the Huckleberry are red and the whie sand from rock erosion and the twisted Bonsai pines it is like a garden.

I grew up in Pine Bush, NY-looking at those very mountains - camped there a couple of times.
We "natives" pronounce Shawangunk the Native American way: SHA-wun-gumn (alliterated into "Shongum" - a word that means "southern", I believe.)

Ice Cave Mountain (on which Sam's Point rests) is interesting: glacial ice still melting deep inside that mountain feeds a stream of pure cold water; and, the dimensions of the Ice Cave itself will tell you those who sheltered there (and, yes: people did shelter there) were very small : perhaps The Great Little People of legend; perhaps a race of humans related to the Pigmies of Africa, the Barrow People of Ireland,etc.

You will probably see a lot of hang glider activity around there, as it is an ideal launching area.

 

[manumuskin]

Ice Cave Mountain (on which Sam's Point rests) is interesting: glacial ice still melting deep inside that mountain feeds a stream of pure cold water; and, the dimensions of the Ice Cave itself will tell you those who sheltered there (and, yes: people did shelter there) were very small : perhaps The Great Little People of legend; perhaps a race of humans related to the Pigmies of Africa, the Barrow People of Ireland,etc.

You will probably see a lot of hang glider activity around there, as it is an ideal launching area.[/quote]
Hobbits???

 

[geezerfinneran]

Ice Cave Mountain (on which Sam's Point rests) is interesting: glacial ice still melting deep inside that mountain feeds a stream of pure cold water; and, the dimensions of the Ice Cave itself will tell you those who sheltered there (and, yes: people did shelter there) were very small : perhaps The Great Little People of legend; perhaps a race of humans related to the Pigmies of Africa, the Barrow People of Ireland,etc.

You will probably see a lot of hang glider activity around there, as it is an ideal launching area.

Hobbits???[/quote]
Hobbits ? I don't know. Wine and beer hadn't been invented, and I don't think those folks were into smoking weeds (Hmm...Maybe they were, and it stunted their growth ?)
Nonetheless, I'd have to believe they had some bad hobbits, and that's why they are ex-stinked.

 

[MikeBickerson]

My favorite place up in New England is Lake Champlain. I've camped a few times at D.A.R State Park. It's not wilderness (it's surrounded by cow farms), but you can kayak right on the lake, and the Green Mountains/Long Trail are 30 to 40 minutes away with nice hiking. Burlington is 45 minutes to an hour north, complete with the Magic Hat Brewery.

However, if you have the money to go West, do it, do it, do it. Any national park out there is amazing - Grand Canyon, Bryce, Zion, Sequoia, Yellowstone, Grand Teton. However, my favorite out West was Big Bend in Texas. It's a drive from El Paso airport, but it was empty and gorgeous.

 

[geezerfinneran]

What did you think of the resident lake monster-Champy ??

I saw "something" while riding the ferry across with my wife. Gulls were swooping down on something in the water, and I could see something bobbing around amidst them. (Naturally too far away to ID !) I had my camera and took a couple of B&W pictures, but-when developed, they showed only gulls.

 

[Ben Ruset]

I ended up just scheduling some four day weekends off. I'll do some day-trips but I just am not at the place where I can drop ~$1k on a vacation yet.

 

[46er]

FWIW, there is a KOA at the base of Whiteface Mt just about 15 minutes outside Lake Placid that has very nice cabins for around $70/night. Easily a 4 day weekend trip. Have fun wherever you go.

 

[gipsie]

The "Gunks" are a nice trip. 3 1/2 hours up and you can pick up a cheap room across the Hudson in Hyde Park. Golden Manor is where I would stay, not sure how it is now....

Geezer, I lived in Pine Bush for a little bit during my "wayward youth" phase, many years ago. I grew up on the outskirts of Newburgh...

 

[MikeBickerson]

What did you think of the resident lake monster-Champy ??

I saw "something" while riding the ferry across with my wife. Gulls were swooping down on something in the water, and I could see something bobbing around amidst them. (Naturally too far away to ID !) I had my camera and took a couple of B&W pictures, but-when developed, they showed only gulls.

I saw him a few times - at one of the holes on the putt-putt golf course, on the sidewalk by the lake in Burlington (got a picture of my buddy riding him), and on lots of t-shirts. None of them were moving through

 

[PINEY MIKE]

I just got back from our place in the Adirondacks. I've been all over New England and the dacks is still my favorite place. If you enjoy hiking, Id stay in the High Peaks region between Keane Valley and Lake Placid. Tons of hikes and water access. No need to pay for a campground, there are literally free campsites all over the area. Many are roadside or streamside and some are deeper in the forest. The 46 tallest peaks (from where 46er got his screen name) are known for their beauty and most have outrageous views above their timberline. Some need to be hiked to their base and can be 2 to 4 day trips, but there are some that can be done as day trips and are closer to the road (Cascade and Giant mountain are both roadside and have amazing panoramic views from their bald summits). Let me know if you need any info or camping suggestions if you decide to head that way.

 

[Badfish740]

It's probably farther than you want to drive but I'll vote for Maine. Just a few reasons why I like it there:

Climate, Climate, Climate! Average high in August is 85-the nights stay cool enough to warrant sitting by a campfire or wearing a light long sleeve shirt until mid-July in the Northwest part of the state.

Solitude. Maine is so large that all of the other New England States (Massachusetts, Vermont, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Connecticut) can fit inside of it, but it has fewer people than the combined populations of Hudson and Essex County New Jersey.

Friendly folks-Mainers are about the nicest people I've ever met.

We haven't been here yet but hope to soon:

www.birches.com

It's an 11,000 acre resort on Moosehead Lake. They have a lodge but rustic cabins and yurts as well, a huge network of roads, boat/ATV rentals, and more. Rockwood, ME is pretty much the last populated outpost before you enter the Unorganized Territory of the Great North Woods.

 

[johnnyb]

Wanted to throw in another suggestion.
We just got back from a great 3 day trip to Dolly Sods Wilderness in West by God Virginia. Part of the Monongahela National Forest.
Room (very nice) at Canaan Valley Motel at $60 per nite with nearby food places ranging from passable to excellent. Sods huge, not Pine Barrens but FULL of wildflowers, including some globally rare ones, like a bog full of Zigadenus leimanthoides/Death Camas, which we have down here in a couple of secret spots. Hiking is rocky but beautiful. Average elevation 3600 feet, up to over 4,000. We're going back again in August. It's a 360 mile drive from our home in "Seizuretown" (thanks, Bob).
Forest roads gravel but OK for cars, local roads paved but can be two-way, single lane, NO guard rail/200+ foot dropoff, and hair raising for some flatlanders.....
johnny b

 

[bobpbx]

Wanted to throw in another suggestion.
We just got back from a great 3 day trip to Dolly Sods Wilderness in West by God Virginia.

Oh Jeez, Johnny, you just unleashed Al's passion. Look out.

 

[Ben Ruset]

Well, it's turning out just as I expected. I'm going to take time off and stay home. Time to start saving for a house.

 

[manumuskin]

I know Dolly Sodds Wilderness almost as well as the Barrens.I know some great campsite locations if you go back and want to backpack in to em.They just created Roaring Plains Wilderness as well just south of there and while Flatrock Plains is not wilderness yet it still should be.